----- Original Message ----- From: "// ravi" <ravi at platosbeard.org>
> And therein lies the real problem of web 2.0 — whether it takes the form of SEO-driven “news” or crowd-sourced accommodation. To make money — real money — at this game you have to attract millions, or tens of millions, of users. And when you’re dealing with those kinds of numbers, it’s literally impossible not to treat your users as pieces of data. It’s ironic, but depressingly unsurprising, that web 2.0 is using faux socialization and democratization to create a world where everyone is reduced to a number on a spreadsheet.
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I wish it were as simple as a morality tale. But life under capitalism will not lend itself to such narratives.
About twelve years ago, I ran into a rather outstanding group of people. They first got together at a company called Ingres...then reassembled to found Forte...then Amberpoint. Inbetween founding small companies that almost make it, they get bought out by really large companies that no one can really stand working for....so they break off and start another company. They don't do this because they want to become billionaires. They do it because they are craftspeople and really like working together. And I've definitely been won over because I like working with them too. The most civilized bunch of peopole I've ever worked with. They've been working together for close to thirty years.
What's interesting to me is that it's actually very, very hard to be successful in hi tech in a way that allows you to maintain control over your business. Normally, you either fail or you get absorbed into very large companies that can no longer innovate and can only grow by buying semi-successful startups. I can only think of one company that's managed to stay small and stay civilized...Perforce. No doubt there are a few others.
Anyway. My point is simply that decency has nothing to do with it. These people I've worked with just want a good working environment and to find a non mega corporate work space, but this proves to be next to impossible.
I suspect everyone on this list understands the dynamics that make it impossible. I'm just mentioning it cause I've lived it for the last dozen years or so.
Joanna